- Complete 50 consecutive push ups - I can do 10, so increase each week by 10.
- Run on the treadmill for 25 minutes (speed at 4.5, with an incline of 3) - at the moment I struggle to do 15 minutes, so increase each week by 2.5 minutes.
- To read for pleasure everyday - either on my commute or before bed.
- Stop drinking coffee in the morning.
I know that I am overweight and could do with losing a few pounds, but I chose to do a fitness goal instead of a weight loss goal - partially because I don't own a scale, but also I would never choose to sacrifice my great rack for my muffin top... Honestly, who doesn't love a muffin?! And more importantly, who doesn't love a great rack?!
With that in mind, I thought of how the view of the ideal female body has changed over the years. Today's question is: what is the history of female body image in the media?
A: Before media influence, body image was based the ability to reproduce - men would choose women with a healthy level of body fat, as it was a visual representation of good estrogen levels and the sustenance for child bearing.
Evidence of fuller-figures as the ideal is evidenced through paintings. In the early-Renaissance Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" expresses the beauty and sensuality of a voluptuous woman. This trend continued into late-Renaissance and Baroque periods, where women were celebrated for their curvy figures and childbearing hips.
In the 1800's, with an increase in printed advertising, being plump was a sign of affluence. When resources were scarce, a full-figure represented the means to eat well and suggested probable health. During the late 19th century Lillian Russell was the most celebrated stage actresses and singer of operettas in America. She was considered to be the the most beautiful woman of the time, as a matter of public opinion and in the news media. Lillian, displayed the traditional womanly figure, wearing corsets to narrow her waist and enhance the bust of her ample proportions.
In the 1920's, French fashion dictated the ideal body shape. Coco Chanel and other designers popularized the garçonne - boyish - look, which focused on flattened breasts and straight waists. This era spawned the first dieting craze of the twentieth century.The fifties, repopularized curves and the hourglass shape. Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were pictures of perfection, revered for their beauty and achieved sex symbol status because of their shapely bodies. This trend of the busty woman continued until 1967 and the introduction of Twiggy. Twiggy was known for her short blond bob, extravagant eye lashes and her super skinny figure - at 5'6" she only weighed 91 pounds. Throughout the seventies and eighties, the trend for slimness continued, as well as showcasing models that were 5'8" and above. The 1990's introduced the supermodel; women like Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, who were all curvy, tall and slender. However, the nineties also saw a shift from the buxom model to the waif, heroin chic look of Kate Moss.
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